Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center

Weight Loss Surgery (Bariatrics)

Facts About Obesity

Obesity is rapidly becoming the nation’s No. 1 health concern. Of the 97 million Americans who suffer from obesity, 5 to 10 million of Americans are considered morbidly obese.

Obesity is considered “morbid” when it reaches the point of significantly increasing the risk of obesity-related conditions or serious diseases that can cause death or disability.

It is typically defined as being at least 100 pounds over ideal body weight or having a Body Mass Index of 40 percent or higher. Morbid obesity is a chronic disease whose symptoms build slowly over time. Consider:

• Thirty-four percent of U.S. adults are overweight, and another 31 percent are obese.
• 15 percent of children and adolescents aged 6-19, and 10 percent between 2 and 5, are considered seriously overweight.
• The number of overweight children has doubled in the past 30 years, while the number of overweight adolescents has tripled.
• An estimated one third of Americans are obese.
• About 300,000 deaths a year are associated with being overweight or obese.
• Poor diet and physical activity – two key factors in obesity –were responsible for 400,000 deaths in 2000, or 17 percent of the U.S. total. That is an increase of 33 percent from 1990, and puts bad eating habits and lack of exercise in line to replace tobacco as the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States.
• Obesity is associated with increased risk for a number of dangerous medical conditions, including heart disease, cancer, gallstones, high blood pressure, diabetes, and musculoskeletal disorders.
• Someone who is obese increases his or her risk of premature death by 50 to 100 percent.
• Direct and indirect annual costs of obesity in the United States are estimated to be $117 billion. That is more than the cost of tobacco-related illnesses.
• At any one time, an estimated 45 percent of women and 25 percent of men are trying to lose weight.